Johannes Friessner

Johannes Friessner (22 March 1892-26 June 1971) was a Colonel-General of the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany. Friessner commanded Army Group South, made up of two German and two Romanian armies, during World War II from July to December 1944.

Biography
Johannes Friessner was born on 22 March 1892 in Chemnitz in the Kingdom of Saxony (present-day Germany). He joined the Reichswehr in 1911 and saw extensive service in World War I - he was made a Lieutenant-General of the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany in 1940 due to his lengthy military experience. He served on the Eastern Front of World War II as leader of the German 102nd Infantry Division and transferred to Army Detachment Narva in February 1944 to fight in Estonia. From 1 to 25 July he commanded Army Group North, but he was given control of Army Group South Ukraine (Southeast) in Romania and Bulgaria afterwards. Friessner was forced to share command with Romanian generals, as his army group was two German and two Romanian armies. Friessner's warnings to Adolf Hitler about shared command and the inexperience of Romanian troops and generals were ignored, and his army group was driven back. In September, Romania and Bulgaria joined the Soviet Union as allies after the Germans failed to defend them, and on 22 December 1944 Friessner was deprived of military command. He died on 26 June 1971 in Bad Reichenhall, Bavaria, West Germany.